It’s the first new school year since Tennessee passed a law requiring schools to out transgender students to their parents. Gov. Bill Lee signed the measure into law in May.
Critics say the law puts trans youth at risk of rejection, while proponents say parents have a right to know if their children ask to go by other names or pronouns at school. In recent years, Tennessee has passed other laws prohibiting trans youth from using the school bathroom or playing on the sports team that aligns with their gender identity.
DuPont Hadley Middle School Principal Kevin Armstrong has navigated some of these sensitive conversations with students and parents.
“I think, for us, it’s just about being transparent,” Armstrong said.
That starts with letting students know that the school will be contacting their parents.
“But we’re … not just going to pick up the phone, tell the parent, hang up,” Armstrong said.
Typically, his school will schedule some time to speak individually with the parent, then with the parent and student. Armstrong said, sometimes, the school’s counseling department gets brought in as well to facilitate the conversation.
Armstrong said that, ultimately, the school will back the family’s decision, whether that means using a student’s chosen name and pronouns or not. But he finds that this collaborative, transparent method helps families reach a solution that works for everybody.
“If you have a process that really makes everyone feel heard and feel welcome, I think it ends up working out. And so, we’ve never had a situation that didn’t work out in the end,” he said.
Armstrong’s experience could be valuable to other educators, as they navigate Tennessee’s new law for themselves this year.
